Arquimedes Mejia is originally from the Dominican Republic and now lives and works in New York. The artist’s practice is highly experimental, with a backbone of figurative painting that serves as foundation for his forays into different media and styles of mark-making.

Browsing through Arquimedes’ online portfolio, I’m fascinated by his Arlequines – in these works, female figures in Harlequin-patterned outfits that call to mind circuses and jesters enact postures that call to mind a variety of classical paintings and art moments. Looking through these images, I see possible references to such works as Manet’s Olympia, or Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

It’s interesting to see the way that Arquimedes shifts between a bombastic abstracted style, and one that’s a bit more subdued and detail-oriented. I always like to see work by an artist that knows the “rules” of realistic figure painting but chooses to bend them to obtain a different aesthetic.

About the author

Dallas Jeffs is the Editor of Artist Run Website's blog. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied Critical and Cultural Practices. She is passionate about talking and writing about art, and sharing that interest with others. In her studio practice she is a painter, but she considers herself an art writer and educator foremost. If you like art, books and culture with a science fiction twist, check out Dallas' personal blog, HappySpaceNoises